NC State will be without center Spike Sowells for the rest of the 2026 season.
Dave Doeren confirmed Thursday, ahead of the Wake Forest game, that the 2025 Freshman All-American will not return after an injury has kept him sidelined for the last three games. Sowells was already listed as OUT for Saturday against the Demon Deacons.
"Spike's out for the year," Doeren said. "We tried really hard to rehab him back, and it just didn't make enough progress to feel like it was going to get anywhere. And so, unfortunately, he'll get his repair done and get back with his health."
The loss stings for the Wolfpack because Sowells entered the season with plenty of buzz as one of the ACC’s top offensive line prospects. After spending last year at guard to get on the field as a freshman, he moved back to center this offseason, his natural spot, and got off to a strong start.
In the first two games, Sowells posted the best pass-blocking grade on the team at 84.6, per Pro Football Focus. He didn’t allow a pressure against Virginia or Richmond before leaving the Richmond game with a shoulder injury.
At first, Doeren called Sowells "day-to-day" after that injury, but the issue got worse and eventually kept him out for three straight games. Now NC State has to keep piecing together the offensive line without him.
Teague Andersen handled center for the first two games after Sowells went down and even earned ACC OL of the Week honors for his work against App State. But when Jimarion McCrimon was ruled out against Louisville, Andersen moved back to right tackle and Daniel Cruz took over at center.
The Wolfpack could be in for more movement up front on Saturday. Left guard Yousef Mugharbil, who exited the Week 5 game against Louisville early, has already been ruled out for Wake Forest. McCrimon and right guard Kamen Smith are both listed as questionable, which could leave NC State scrambling if four of its five original starters from the opener are unavailable.
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